Maximum Ride Series

Well, I’ve been working my way through the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. Young adult series, as is my trend in reading. Basically, it’s about a group of kids who have been genetically altered with avian (bird) DNA. They have wings. Early on in the series, they escaped from their “dog crates” (as the main character Max calls their previous dwelling) and continue to fight to survive in a world where they don’t know who they can trust. The main character, Maximum Ride, is a sassy teenager with maternal instincts for her “flock” (adoptive family of bird kids) and extreme fighting skills.

In each book, the chapters are 3-5 pages each and each book is divided into subsections. If you are looking for some easy summer reads, these books are definitely for you. I actually found myself laughing out loud when I was reading because of the wit and sarcasm of Max. Plus, there’s a little love interest stuff going on (but just kissing and stuff… nothing above PG here people), which doesn’t hurt the story’s integrity one bit.

The last book in the series is slated to come out in February 2012. Right now, there are 7 books:
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
School’s Out… Forever
Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
The Final Warning
Max
Fang
Angel

I’d love to hear your thoughts! I’m thinking about using this as a read-aloud with my 8th graders at school this year. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you’re looking for additional information, here’s a link to the website!